Re: REAR WHEEL BEARING

Posted by Randy Berger On 2014/9/8 19:00:31

The man from NJ called and will be shipping my drums and brake shoes tomorrow.
I never did explain what happened that I needed brake shoes and a drum and decided to replace the bearing as a precaution.
Coming back on the Ohio pike from Summit racing I got a flat on the right rear tire. I had to pull off the side of the road and when I went back to check, the tire was smoking hot as were the lug nuts. The wire wheel was also very hot. The lug nuts were removed wearing gloves and I mounted the spare but discovered I had no brakes. I got flat-bedded home 67 miles into Pa from the Ohio pike. After getting off the flatbed I discovered I had no emergency brake. After a minor accident with a neighbors fence, I managed to pull the car into the garage with no brakes. The following day I pulled the wheel and drum. The primary shoe had all the lining worn off and the spring securing it to the anchor pin was lying on the emergency brake strut. It was not broken. Somehow it came off the anchor pin and allowed the primary shoe to ride on the drum. The heat melted the rubber in the wheel cylinder and since the primary shoe was no longer secured to the anchor pin I had neither regular brakes nor emergency brake.
I have to surmise that I did not have the return spring securely mounted on the anchor pin as I have never seen a spring leave the anchor pin. I am having new shoes tru-arced and hope to have Best Other on the road again by the end of the week.